08/08/2019
Do the Chinese eat dogs?
Many people have responded to our pet food export quiz with this question. Don’t the Chinese eat dogs? Why would you want to export pet food there?
It’s a complicated question. To answer it we need to go on a little history tour.
Like most places, the Chinese have historically kept dogs for protection, hunting and companionship. As dogs became a more important part of hunting in the Ming Dynasty (14th century) certain breeds became popular as pets with the nobility. So owning a dog was a sign of wealth and status.
At the same time, China had millions of peasants, who primarily lived on rice and vegetables. Meat was rare and precious. In some remote parts of China, peasants would sometimes rely on dog meat to supplement their diet. This practice was outlawed at various times thanks to the rise of Buddhism and Islam which forbid the consumption of dog meat, but China is a large country and in certain areas the practice continued.
During the 20th century China experienced radical changes under the leadership of Mao Zedong:
- Pets were treated as symbols of upper class Western capitalism and were strictly forbidden
- The Great Chinese Famine caused tens of millions of deaths, and survivors desperately ate anything they could including tree bark - which made pet meat an extravagant luxury!
- The one-child policy meant that many Chinese felt the absence of children to nurture. When it became legal again many Chinese turned to pets for companionship.
All of this means that in today's China, far from being a widespread source of food, pets (especially dogs and cats) are embraced as an important part of Chinese society. Although there is a generation that never had access to pets (or that once ate dog meat out of desperation), they are making way for a new generation who love their pets, spend large amounts of money on the best care products for their pets, and actively reject the remaining rural tradition of eating dog meat.
What is known is that 75% of pet consumers in China are millennials. We know they have a higher disposition to spend on their pets than people of other generations, and we know that the ageing population with no children to care for them are also turning to pets for love. We know the pet food industry is about to explode, growing from US$2b to $6b in the three years coming.
So although it’s fair to say China has a complicated history with dogs, we think now is a great time to export pet food to China as it will be well used by Chinese consumers. If you’d like to find out more about that process, click the link and discover if you’re ready to go.
https://tavi.kartra.com/page/0Wm17
